Men's Basketball vs. Whitworth University at Colorado College Classic

Knights Can’t Hold Lead Versus No. 16 Whitworth

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Tianen Chen (Fy./Germantown Hills, Ill./Metamora Township) scored a career-best and game-high 26 points with nine rebounds and Taylor Hanson (Sr./Saint Paul, Minn./Minnehaha Academy) posted his second double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 boards but the Carleton College men’s basketball team lost to No. 16 Whitworth University, 70-61.

Chen accumulated only three total points over the Knights’ first two games this season but delivered when pressed into extended action due to foul trouble elsewhere on the roster.

Carleton (0-3) limited the Pirates (3-1) to just 26 percent shooting in the first half, while Chen and Hanson accounted for 24 of the Knights’ points in building a 33-28 advantage by intermission. Chen went 7-of-10 in the period, accumulating 14 points, while Hanson nearly posted the double-double over the first half with 10 points and nine rebounds.

The Knights led by as many as seven points in the second half, but the Pirates shot 63 percent after intermission and slowly erased the deficit.

Chen gave the Knights their final lead when he hit a pair of free throws to put Carleton up 56-55 with 6:45 still to play, but the Knights committed five turnovers and went just 2-of-7 from the field down the stretch as Whitworth closed the game on a 15-5 run to pull out the victory.

Colton McCargar scored 15 of his team-high 21 points in the second half to pace Whitworth.

The Knights open MIAC play at St. Olaf College on Tuesday, Dec. 3 as part of a women’s-men’s doubleheader. Tipoff for the women’s game is 5:45 p.m., with the men slated to begin at 7:45 p.m. Live audio of both games can be heard on KDHL 920 AM in the Northfield/Faribault area as well as via Knights Online.